FIG. 12 of the accompanying drawings shows a conventional air-conditioning system comprising a combination of an absorption heat pump as a heat source and an air-conditioning unit employing a desiccant, i.e., a so-called desiccant air-conditioning unit.
The conventional air-conditioning system comprises an air-conditioning unit having a path A for processing air from which moisture has been adsorbed by a desiccant rotor 103, a path B for regenerating air which is heated by a heat source and thereafter passes through the desiccant rotor 103 that has adsorbed the moisture to desorb the moisture from the desiccant, and a sensible heat exchanger 104 between the processing air from which moisture has been adsorbed and the regenerating air to be regenerated by the desiccant rotor 103 and heated by the heat source. The air-conditioning system further comprises an absorption heat pump including a first cycle as an absorption refrigeration cycle having an evaporator 3, an absorber 1, a regenerator 2, and a condenser 4 as main components, and a second cycle as an absorption refrigeration cycle having an evaporator 13, an absorber 11, a regenerator 12, and a condenser 14 as main components. The second cycle is operable at a lower temperature than the first cycle. The absorption heat pump has a heat exchange relationship 21 formed between the evaporator 3 of the first cycle and the absorber 11 of the second cycle, and a heat exchange relationship 20 formed between the condenser 4 of the first cycle and the regenerator 12 of the second cycle. The regenerating air of the air-conditioning unit is heated by a heater 120 using as a heating source the heat of absorption in the first cycle and the heat of condensation in the second cycle of the absorption heat pump, for thereby regenerating the desiccant, and the processing air of the air-conditioning unit is cooled by a cooler 115 using as a cooling heat source the heat of evaporation in the second cycle of the absorption heat pump.
The conventional air-conditioning system is arranged such that the absorption heat pump simultaneously cools the processing air and heats the regenerating air of the desiccant air-conditioning unit. Based on drive heat applied to the absorption heat pump from an external source, the absorption heat pump produces an effect of cooling the processing air. The desiccant is regenerated by the sum of the heat removed from the processing air by the operation of the heat pump and the drive heat applied to the absorption heat pump. Therefore, the drive heat applied from the external source is utilized in multiple ways for a high energy-saving effect.
However, it is necessary to provide heat medium paths 122, 123, 51 between the absorption heat pump as a heat source in the system and the heater 120 of the desiccant air-conditioning unit for passing a heat medium (hot water) therethrough. Similarly, it is necessary to provide cooling medium paths 117, 118 between the absorption heat pump and the cooler 115 of the desiccant air-conditioning unit for passing a cooling medium (chilled water). Consequently, the conventional air-conditioning system is limited to applications where the heat source and the desiccant air-conditioning unit can be installed separately from each other.
In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dehumidifying air-conditioning apparatus which has a compact arrangement including an integral combination of a heat pump as a heat source driven by a thermal energy from an external source and a desiccant air-conditioning unit, and can achieve a high energy efficiency.